Family Secrets
by Jamie Love
Summary: When Root died, a few people decided to keep his memory alive. But their attempts were shoved into storage. Now, fifty five years later, Judith Root, a helpless young intern, finds out many secrets about her family that were hidden from her long ago.Done!
1. Discovery

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the following poems. I only own a few of the characters. Holly, Mulch, Foaly, Trouble, Turnball, and Vinyaya all belong to the Irish bastard who decided to kill my Julius.**

**A/N: This is a fic/poem collection that I started writing after I read the OD. The first few chapters are from different POV's. When I read that my beloved Julius was dead, I cried for hours then refused to read the rest of the book for three days. When I finally did start reading it again, I kept hoping that it would be like all those times with Butler. I mean, he died TWICE and he's still in the books, right? But Julius is gone. Every time I read a fic about Julius or reread the AF books, I start crying instantly. Yet I do it all the time. I guess I need to shed as many tears as possible over him. I wrote these because I needed to find a way to make myself feel better. It helped a little, but not much. I would really appreciate it if you review. And I hope that this collection of poems will remind us of **

**LEPrecon Commander Julius Root.**

**Introduction:**

**Fifty-Five Years After the Opal Deception**

A young elf sat alone in the LEP storage. She didn't know why she was there really. Just hiding from those mean cadets. She was an intern, why should she have to deal with them? It wasn't fair! Plus she was only sixty-five. They were all at least fifteen years older! But no. They couldn't help making fun of Judith Root, daughter of the famed criminal Turnball Root.

She sighed gently. Her father had been in prison for as long as she could remember. She didn't even know why. Her mother refused to tell her. And every time she visited him, he would just shake his head and start muttering to himself.

Shaking her head, she pressed a pointed ear to the door. She could hear voices.

"Where'd that pipsqueak go?"

"She's gonna get it this time!"

"That rotten little twerp!"

"Just like her old man!"

"Okay, split up! If anyone finds her, teach her a lesson!"

Judith gulped. They were all so mean! Why? She'd never done anything to them. Expect that time she punched Cadet Chestnut in the nose. But that was for self-defense. She turned and walked farther into the storage room. Dust and cobwebs covered everything. She covered her face with the sleeve of her LEP uniform. It looked like no one had entered the room in decades.

She took another step and tripped over a small box, colliding with a stack of old papers. She landed face up on the papers, and a bunch of boxes fell on top of her. She groaned. She was such a klutz!

She sat up, and noticed a small black object among the cardboard. She picked it up. Just another box. She wiped the dust of its cover. There was writing on it. Leaning closer, she read the name. "**J. Root**"

She gasped softly. "My name." she murmured aloud. Opening the box, she found a bunch of papers. She stood up, turned on the old fashioned halogen light, and began to read.


	2. Holly Short

**Captain Holly Short**

The day seems so long ago.

Though it has been not months.

It can't have truly happened

Though I've reviewed it more than once.

He was a part of us.

He showed us the true way.

He led us into battle

How did he go astray?

I watched him die,

I say him last.

I heard his

Final words.

'Be well' was it.

And then no more.

For his time was done.

He's gone for good

Yet he will live on.

Through our written word.

Judith stared at the poem in her hands. Who was this girl, Holly Short? And who was she talking about? Such a confusing poem. Be well? Battle? Perhaps an old commander? But who would write a poem about that? She knew she wouldn't about Commander Trouble Kelp. He was such a weirdo! Who picked the name 'Trouble' anyways? Shaking her head, she set the poem down and began to read the second paper.

**A/N: Next chappie will be out soon. Review please!**


	3. Vinyaya

**Wing Commander Orchid Vinyaya**

If only the future did not wander so free.

I would not be filled with such misery.

For I would have known this day was near.

And now I am consumed by fear.

I am alone without your love

But I know you are now above

Why did you leave me here to die?

I'm lost without your mud brown eye.

My love for you is now a pain.

Inside me it will always rain.

Judith gasped softly. Wing Commander Vinyaya. This name she knew. The only female on the council. But she didn't seem the type to write something like this. And this definitely sounded like a love poem. Was it about the same elf? "J. Root." She repeated. "J. Root." If the writing on the box cover was not referring to her, then who did it mean? She sighed gently. It was all so confusing. She glanced at the door. No, she shouldn't leave yet. Better wait a little longer. Picking up the next paper, she began to read.


	4. Mulch Diggums

**Mulch Diggums**

I knew Julius as an enemy

He caught me many times

But now that I've gone straight

He's no longer here to know.

P.S: Sorry it's so short. I'm not very poetic, and it's hard to write a poem about Julius anyways.

Judith frowned. Mulch Diggums. Another name she didn't know. But this poem did help a little. Julius. Julius Root? Never heard of him. But at least she knew who these poems were about now. Julius Root. Who could he be? Perhaps a relative of hers? Maybe her grand father. But then why wouldn't she have known about him? She tugged at her LEP uniform. It was so uncomfortable. She dusted off the sleeves, skipped a few papers, and began reading.


	5. Lies

**A/N: Okay. Someone told me to get to the point, so I'm gonna take a break from the poems for a chapter or two. I promise I'll do more poems though. As soon as I explain a little.**

_Dear Major Kelp,_

_As you may or may not know my daughter, Judith, will be turning ten very shortly. I understand you and your friends at the LEP have compiled a collection in memory of my husband's late brother. I regret his death as much as anyone, but I do not wish my daughter to know. She mustn't know the reasons of my husband's imprisonment, nor who sent him there. Please understand and obey my wishes. The many acts of betrayal shown by both Julius and Turnball must not be shared with Judith. As far as she will know, Turnball never had a brother._

_Sincerely,_

_Fredona Root_

Judith stared at the page in horror. Fredona Root. Her mother. Julius Root was her uncle. But that wasn't possible. Neither of her parents had any siblings. But why? Why would her mother wish to hide this simple fact? She reread the letter. _She mustn't know the reasons of my husband's imprisonment, nor who sent him there._ What didn't her mother want her to know? It was all so confusing. Not to mention deceitful.

At that moment, she heard hooves outside the door. It opened, and Mr. Foaly walked in. He took one look at her dust covered face and the paper in her hands. He frowned. "I think you should come with me." He murmured.

She gathered up the papers, shoved them back in the box, and followed the centaur out of the storage room.


	6. Painful Thoughts

Judith followed Mr. Foaly through the hall, into Commander Kelp's office. She didn't really know what to expect. Mr. Foaly pointed at a chair in front of the Commander's desk, and she sat quickly.

She stared at the ground as the centaur whispered into the Commander's ear. She could feel her cheeks glowing red, and her hands gripping the little box almost protectively.

"I see." Commander Kelp said finally. He looked down at Judith for a few moments before speaking again. "Why were you in the storage room, girl?"

"I-I was hiding, sir." She mumbled.

"Hiding? From who?"

Her face grew hot with anger. "From your damned cadet flyboys!" She snarled, glaring up at him.

He stared at her for a few moments, his eyebrows raised. "And why would you have to hide from them?"

She looked at the ground, not answering.

He sighed. "Whats your name, girl?"

"J-Judith, sir. Judith Root. I'm an intern in Ops."

"Judith Root? That's your name?" He sounded half horrified, half amazed.

"Yessir."

"Julius." Foaly whispered. Commander Kelp nodded.

"Okay, what's going on?" Judith asked, annoyed. "And would someone mind telling me who this Julius guy is?"

"Was." Foaly corrected. "He was one of the best LEP Commanders in history. Commander Julius Root."

Kelp nodded in agreement.

"Why haven't I heard of him before?"

"Well you wouldn't have." Commander Kelp replied "After he died, your mother thought it would be best if you didn't know about him. It would just be more grief for you. Seeing as your fathers in jail for trying to kill hundreds of innocents, and then trying to kill Julius and myself…" He froze, looking at her.

The young elf had gone pale, her mud brown eyes huge with shock.

"You didn't know?"

She shook her head slowly, her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"I-I knew he was a criminal. But I had no idea…I thought he tried stealing from the mudmen or…" Her voice trailed off and she wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He repeated. He paused for a moment. "Who are these Cadets? What are their names?"

"Cadets Chestnut, Pine, Newt, Relone, Hendrix, and Grenadine, sir." She said quickly.

He was silent, thinking it over.

"Sir." He glanced up at her. "C-can I go now, sir? It's the end of my shift."

He nodded. She jumped up and hurried along the corridor. As she reached the front doors, she heard Commander Kelp's voice over the loud speaker.

"Cadets Chestnut, Grenadine, Hendrix, Next, Pine, and Relone. Report to my office immediately!"

She pushed through the doors, and ran the rest of the way home.

**A/N: Yeah, so this one was abrupt. I know. I couldn't think. Review please! Next chapter the poems shall begin again.**


	7. Artemis Fowl

Once home, Judith collapsed onto her bed, sobbing gently. She didn't know why she was taking it so hard. Lots of families had secrets. But hers had been torn enough already. She sighed and opened the box again. She found another paper and started to read.

Artemis Fowl 

_Commander Root was no friend of mine._

_Though I did respect him greatly._

_He was brave and fearless_

_Though it must have been his time._

_We shall remember him always_

_He lives on in our hearts_

_And though his death shall be mourned_

_We will learn to cope._

Judith frowned. Artemis Fowl. Artemis Fowl. Who was she? Maybe another elf from the old LEP days. Like this Holly Short. But then why wasn't her rank labled. Maybe she was just a fairy who knew Commander Root. She sighed. This was getting so confusing!

There was a knock on her door. "Judith? Honey? Are you alright?"

Judith shoved the papers back into the box and pushed it under her bed. "Yes mom, I'm fine." She walked over to the door and opened it.

Her mother stood on the landing, smiling gently. "Good. I just wanted to make sure you were home before I left for work." Fredona Root worked as a secretary at a patent office. She made barely enough to support herself and her daughter.

Judith smiled. "Okay. But I might go and see Dad before visiting hours are over. If that's okay." She added quickly. It felt odd, seeing her mother so soon after she had found this terrible secret. The elf standing in front of her didn't seem the type to keep a secret from her own daughter.

Her mother frowned slightly, then smiled. "Of course, dear. But don't be home too late."

"I wont."

"I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, mom." She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek, and then Fredona walked down the stairs and out the door.

Judith waited a few minutes, then grabbed a random paper from the box, shoved it back under her bed, and ran down the stairs. After pausing briefly to put on her coat, she ran out the door, towards The Haven City Jail.


	8. Daddy Dearest

It didn't take long for Judith to arrive at the Haven City Jail. Once there, she smiled at the secretary, signed her name on the guest list, and walked into the visitation room. Her father was already there.

He smiled at her when she entered, standing and walking to her. "Judith, my darling. How are you?"

She took a few steps backwards when he tried to embrace her, her eyes filled with a mix of anger and fear.

He stared at her in surprise for a few moments, then sighed. "You found out didn't you?" He sat down in his chair and rubbed his temples.

She sat down across the table from him, feeling ashamed of herself. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy. Its just…why?"

He sighed again. "I'm not exactly sure, Judy. It was quite a while ago. You where just a baby."

"But why didn't anyone tell me? I've got a right to know!"

He shook his head. "Your mother thought it would be best if you didn't know. I must say, I agreed with her. Your still young, Judith. Your not even eighty yet."

She frowned. "So what? Were you gonna tell me when I turned eighty?"

"Well no." He admitted. "It was a long time ago. Your mother and I decided that you didn't need to know. You'd have to go through enough as it was."

"Yeah, well, a lot of good it did me." She snarled. "You have no idea what I go through! I get beat up every other day! I've got no friends whatsoever! And all because I'm a Root!" Every resentful thing she had been longing to say for ages came pouring out of her. But suddenly she stopped herself. "What about your brother? Julius. Why wasn't I told about him?"

Turnball Root froze, staring at his daughter in utter shock. "How do you know about him?"

"I was hiding in a storage closet and found this box with a bunch of poems about him. And a letter from Mom. It said that I wasn't to be told about any of this."

He smiled bitterly. "I suppose she knew you'd be drawn to the LEP. You are a Root after all. Yes, you did have an uncle. He was killed, though. By one Opal Koboi. She wanted revenge on him for ruining her plans. And she got it. But her revenge ended with him. She was caught. I talk to her everyday. She's quite a nice girl once you get to know her."

"YOU WHAT?" Judith shouted. "How could you? She killed your brother! And you've made friends with her?"

"Judith, I tried to kill him. Twice. She just succeeded where I failed."

Judith looked away. It was too much. All this deception and lies. How could they treat her like a child? Like she was stupid?

He seemed to know what she was thinking. "Hey. Don't take it personal, okay? Your mother and I didn't tell you because we love you. I've been in prison since before you could walk. We just didn't want you to have more to deal with." He lifted her chin and kissed her forehead. "Go home. Get some rest. Maybe you'll feel better about this after a good night's sleep."

She nodded, gave him a quick hug, and walked out of the visitation room.


	9. Attacked

A/N: This chapter is extremely violent. I may change the rating to T. Let me know if I should.

Judith took the long way home, walking through the dark alleys, thinking about all she had learned. Images and sounds swam through her mind.

"_Just like her old man!"_

"_I think you should come with me."_

"_He was one of the best LEP Commanders in history."_

"_Your father's in jail for trying to kill hundreds of innocents…"_

"_You are a Root after all."_

"_I tried to kill him. Twice."_

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts; she didn't notice the figure that had rounded the corner. She ran into him, stumbling backwards onto the ground. She took a few moments to catch her breath, then looked up at him. Definitely a male, though it was too dark to see his face. She noticed he was wearing an LEP uniform. Oh well, probably a captain doing nightly rounds. She stood up, not even bothering to check his nametag. "I'm so sorry. I really am a klutz."

"Oh, I don't think your that sorry. Not as sorry as you will be once I'm through with you."

She froze. She didn't even need to look at his nametag. She recognized his voice. "C-Cadet Relone." She stammered, taking a step backwards.

"Oh, I'm not a cadet anymore. Neither are Pine, Chestnut, Newt, or Grenadine. We've all been suspended for a month because of you! I suppose your daddy taught you to get revenge. Now we're gonna do the same."

She turned the other way, but found it blocked by Grenadine and Newt. She turned back towards Relone, and saw that Pine and Chestnut had joined him. She realized with a pang of horror that she was trapped.

Relone shoved her against the alley wall; gripping her neck so hard she could barely breath. "You should have known better then to go telling Commander Kelp." He snarled, punching her hard in the stomach.

Pain shot through her, and she let out a desperate shriek.

Chestnut jumped forward, kicking her brutally in the knee.

She heard a loud crack, and bit down hard on her lip, fighting back tears. Blue sparks circled her knee, and Relone clicked his tongue.

"Look what we've got here, boys. She's trying to defend herself. We cant have that now, can we?" With his free hand, he pulled a penknife out of his pocket and pulled off the cap. (**A/N: For anyone who doesn't know, a penknife is like a pen, only it has a blade instead of a point.)**

Newt stepped forward and forced her hand up as Relone dug the blade deep into her palm. Blue sparks circled the wound, but he pushed the blade deeper, and soon the sparks died away. Her magic was completely gone.

Newt kicked her knee, breaking it again. Relone let go of her neck, allowing her to fall to the ground.

She fell face forward, onto the cold, damp, cement. The pain was almost unbearable now.

She pulled herself up onto her hands and her still intact knee, but one of the boys put his boot on her back, forcing her back down. Once she was lying on the ground again, he continued adding pressure, and she felt several ribs break.

She tried to scream, but couldn't. One of her broken ribs had punctured a lung, making it impossible to make a sound. She was going to die, she knew it. The pain was so intense. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She knew she would blackout soon. But she knew she couldn't. Because if she did, she might never wake up again. She concentrated on forcing air to her still-working lung. Trying to stay conscious. Trying to stay alive…

Then she heard a voice. A female voice. "Hey! You boys! What are you doing?" There was a pause, and then the voice began shouting. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU PIGS! I said get away! Don't make me hurt you!"

There were hurried footsteps coming towards them, then a yelp, and quite a few thuds. The boot was lifted off her back, and then the newcomer rolled her onto her back. She opened her a tiny bit, and saw hazel eyes staring back at her. Then another voice called from a distance. This one male.

"Hey Holly! What've you got there?"

"I'm not really sure, Mulch." Said the girl. "I just saw some boys attacking her while I passed the ally. Poor girl. She's in terrible shape. Her knees broken. So are a few ribs."

There were more footsteps, and Judith saw a short creature with lots of hair. He was shaking his head. "Short, you cant just go around saving every single kid you see!"

The girl seemed to ignore him, because she leaned closer to Judith's face and whispered. "Can you hear me, child?"

"Mmmm." She whimpered, trying to speak.

"Well, she's dead. Lets go." Said the male.

"Will you shut up?" The girl grumbled. She turned back to Judith. "Try to speak. Tell me your name."

"J-J-Ju-Ju…" was the best she could manage.

"Ju…" the girl prompted touching her stomach gently. "Judy?"

Judith managed a nod. She took a deep breath, and uttered a single word. "Help."

"She needs a warlock." The girl exclaimed to her companion

"Good idea. Lets leave her here, and hope one picks her up."

"MULCH!"

"Alright, alright. We'll bring here. Damnit. Why do you elves have to be so emotional? You know, Holly, we have our own problems."

"Quit your moaning and help me carry her."

Judith felt herself being lifted into the arms of the girl. And, just before she lost consciousness, something penetrated her brain. _Holly Short. Mulch Diggums. Two from the poems._ Then she was gone.

**A/N: What did you think? Too dark? Next chapter will have another poem. Review!**


	10. Pain

Judith knew she was lucky to be alive, but at the moment she didn't feel very lucky at all. Her stomach was in an immense amount of pain, as was her entire right leg. She heard voices around her and opened her eyes.

"Here she comes!" said an elderly healing warlock, smiling down at her. "You gave us quite a shock there, little missy."

She blinked several times, then looked around at the other occupants of the room. The room was filled mainly with nurses and warlocks, but there was also Commander Kelp, an elf and a dwarf. She sat up a little on the hospital bed, and realized her stomach was wrapped tightly in bandages and her right leg was taped to a splint. "W-where am I?"

"Your in a hospital, where else?" The dwarf said, tapping her right knee.

She winced and looked up at Commander Kelp. He was staring at her, his eyes filled with regret. "Leave." He ordered the nurses and warlocks. "I need to speak to this young lady about her internship at the LEP."

"But sir!" began one of the warlocks.

"NOW!"

The medical personnel filled out of the room. Commander Kelp collapsed into a chair and looked at Judith. "How do you feel?"

She thought about it. "Honestly? I feel like crap. How long was I out?"

"Three weeks!" replied the dwarf. "We thought you'd never come to."

She jumped. "Three weeks? I can't be here! I-I've got midterms! And a job. And…oh no! How am I going to pay the medical bill? There's no way my mom can pay it! She barely makes enough to keep the house! And…"

"Calm down." Said the elf, whacking the dwarf on the head. "You've only been out a few hours. Your really very lucky."

"Yeah, I know." Judith murmured. "Thank-you. Your Holly Short, right?"

The elf, Holly, smiled. "Yeah, I am. I didn't catch your name though."

"My name's Judith."

"Root." Kelp added. "Her name is Judith Root."

Both Holly and the dwarf gapped at Judith. "Julius had a kid?"

"Well, no. She's Turnball Root's daughter."

Holly ground her teeth. "Your Turnball's daughter?"

"Uh…yeah. You've met him?"

She smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I have."

Commander Kelp stood suddenly. "Well, I need to go have a word with Major Newt-"

"Oh no!" Judith said hurriedly. "Don't do that!'

He looked at her, frowning slightly. "Those boys should be in jail right now. There's going to be a tribunal. What they did to you…I cant help feeling responsible." He stared at her for a few moments. "The LEP are paying for your medical bill. It's the least we can do." He left the room.

Judith looked at Holly. "Can I ask you something?"

Holly sat in Kelp's abandoned seat. "Yeah, sure."

"Whose Artemis Fowl?"

The dwarf looked at her. "Where'd you hear about him?"

"Him? Isn't 'Artemis' a girl's name?"

"Well, yeah."

"Who are you?"

"Why, I'm Detective Mulch Diggums. I helped rescue you."

"No you didn't. You wanted to leave me there."

Mulch frowned. "What's with all these accusations, kid? Back to your question. Artemis Fowl was the first human to correspond with the people."

"Human?"

"Yep." Said Holly. "He kidnapped me once. We became close friends though. Very…close." Her voice trailed off and her eyes misted over.

"Were is he now?"

This question seemed to bring the elf back to reality. "He…died." She breathed, her voice filled with sadness. "About twenty years ago. I was there." Her voice cracked and she covered her face.

"He was forty-seven." Mulch continued. "Which is still pretty young for a human to die at. Middle-aged. About five hundred for an elf like you."

"How?"

"Well, he was on a mission. To help the people. But, something went wrong. His bodyguard and his sister, Butler and Juliet, both died trying to protect him. Then someone tried to shoot Holly. Artemis took the bullet." He glanced at Holly, who had begun sobbing, and leaned closer to Judith so only she could her. "His last words were 'I love you, Holly'."

Judith blinked, and suddenly she wanted to go home. "When can I leave?"

"Right away." Mulch said automatically. "We'll give you a lift. Where do you live?"


	11. Trouble Kelp

**A/N: I apologize for the slight slip I had last chappie. I am mainly an Arty/Holly writer and this is my first novel length non-romance. I promise there shall be no more Arty/Holly pairing.**

After several long, boring hours, Judith was allowed to go home. Mulch and Holly offered to bring her, and she was so tired she couldnt say anything.

When they got there, Holly brought her to the door. "Does your mother know that this has been happening?"

Judith shook her head.

Holly sighed. "Well, I cant say I blame you. Those boys...I knew thier fathers. And I'll bet they grew up hearing terrible things about your family. But your uncle...he was great. He was a lot like a father to us."

Judith just nodded. She was exhausted, and all she really wanted was to get to sleep. She leaned on the cane they had given her at the hospital.

Holly seemed to notice. "Listen, the LEP have authorized a visa for you. So you can complete the ritual. Would it be alright...if I go with?"

Judith looked at her in surprise. No one had ever wanted to do anything with her. Even her mother had always been busy. She nodded, smiling slightly.

Holly beamed. "Good. Will you be alright getting around?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some rest."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." She turned and ran back to the car.

Once Judith was in her room, she collapsed on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was a holographic projection, showing the night sky. She sighed gently. What was she going to do? Things were getting worse by the minute. At least she had something to look forward to. For once. Shaking her head, reached under her bed with difficulty, and pulled the box out. There must be something…

Searching through the many papers inside, she finally found what she was looking for and began to read;

**Major Trouble Kelp**

He was a father to us all

He never said to flee

His orders were always fair

His home was the LEP

He was true to his men

Disrespectful to none

He was never afraid

Now his time is done

We will always remember

How moral he was

His memory lives on

In what the LEP does

She wiped fresh tears from her eyes. This man, Julius Root. He sounded so honorable. She had never thought of anyone in her family as honorable. But why couldn't she remember him? She had been ten when he died (about three by human standards.) If this man had been her uncle, why couldn't she remember him? She thought hard, trying to remember something. Anything. She was filled with a fiery anger. Why hadn't she been told? She had every right to know. Flipping furiously through the rest of the papers, she found something that caught her eye. A small black video projector. Frowning, she opened it and pressed the play button.

**A/N: Short, as always. Unfortunately, all chapters shall be between short and semi-short. For many reasons I don't feel like explaining. But anyways, review please!**


	12. Judith

A/N: Okay, this is (sadly) the last chapter of this fic. I may write an epilogue. If I find the time. I rewrote the last few lines of chapter 11. Enjoy!

Flipping furiously through the rest of the papers, she found something that caught her eye. A small black video projector. Frowning, she opened it and pressed the play button.

An elf appeared on the screen. He had a dark red face, with mud-brown eyes and rough features. He was glaring at the screen and smoking a cigar.

"Put that out, Julius. For goodness sake, this is for your descendants!" She recognized this voice vaguely as Mr. Foaly's. It was younger, though. At least half a century.

The elf turned a slightly darker shade of red. "One, don't call me Julius, pony boy. Two, I don't have any descendants so this will go to Judith and her children if it ever gets to her. And three, you're the one who insisted I do this, so don't tell me what to do." His tones were gruff and annoyed. (If you have any of the books on tape/CD you know what I mean)

"Fine. But don't you want her children to remember you as an honorable fairy, not a black-lunged idiot? And who's Judith?"

The elf dropped the cigar onto the floor and stamped it out. "My good-for-nothing brother's daughter. Cute girl. She'll be eight this fall. She's pretty clumsy, even now."

Judith felt her heart begin to hammer against her ribcage. So this was him. This was the man who she had been reading so much about. She leaned a little closer to the screen so her nose almost touched it.

"Alright, Foaly. Lets make this quick. What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, just some stuff about yourself that they might want to know."

"Well, alright." He paused for a moment then looked directly into the camera. "Judith, if your watching this, then I'm no longer alive. I am grateful of the time I had with you, and I hope you feel the same. If you are Judith's descendent and we never met, then I am sorry for that. I am something of your great-uncle, and a Commander of the LEP. No doubt you will have heard of me." He paused again and looked away from the camera. "Now what?"

"Very nice, Commander. How about you say some more to Judith. We can always revise this thing when she has a kid."

"You could have said that before." He looked back at the camera. "Judith, sweetie, I wish I could be there. Obviously I cant. I am sorry for everything you have been through, as I'm sure you've had to go through a lot because of your father and his reputation. Just remember that no matter what happens, I'll be watching over you." He leaned close to the screen. "You can do great things if you try. I love you, Judy."

"Aw, that's sweet."

He pulled back from the screen and glared at the person filming. "Shut up, donkey boy, or I'll cut that budget of yours into a microscopic amount of gold!"

"Alright, alright, calm down. You want to say anything else?"

He glanced at the camera and gave a small smile. "No. We're set."

"Alright. Say goodbye to Judy."

He smiled wider, looking into the camera. "Goodbye, Judith."

The screen went black, and red words flashed on the screen reading _End Transition_.

Judith stared at the words for a long time, until the tears pouring down her cheeks had stopped. She set the projector back in the box, set the box under her bed, and fell into an uneasy sleep, his words resounding in her mind as she drifted off to her dreams.

"You can do great things if you try. I love you, Judy."

A/N: What do you think? Good? Bad? I know you probably want to kill me for ending it like this. I might write an epilogue. I just decided this would be a good ending. Anyways, please review! This is my second completed story. Let me know if you want an epilogue.


	13. Epilogue

**A/N: I said I'd do a epilogue so here it is. Some of the things aren't going to make much sense, so if you have any questions please feel free to Email me. Or ask in the review and I'll Email you. I'm not sure how these last chapter questions work. Anyways, here's the epilogue. Enjoy!**

**100 years later**

Judith sat at the window, staring out at the street. It was times like these, when she wasn't signing contracts, talking with the press, or answering to cries of "Mummy!" that she thought about how much things had changed since she was in the academy. It was rare that she had time to stop and think about how fortunate she was to have a life as great as the one she now led.

She thought back to the box she had found. Containing all the information her parents had hidden from her. She remembered the heated argument that had followed that day. Her mother had burst into tears, sobbing that she had done it for her own good. Judith had shouted a lot, but after a while she felt better and was able to calm her mother down…

**&Flashback&**

"Mom…I'm sorry. Please…stop crying."

"Judith, sweetie…I'm the one who's sorry. This is all my fault. I just wanted to protect you."

"I know. I just wish I could remember him."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"Why? That's not your fault."

"Well, yes it is. I had you mind wiped."

"What! Why?"

"So you wouldn't remember him. I didn't want to risk you finding out."

"…"

"Judith, where are you going?"

"For a walk! I'll be back in a few hours."

"But…your still healing."

She snorted. "Like you care. See you later!"

**&End Flashback&**

She sighed and rubbed the small black object that hung from a chain around her neck. She had moved out soon after that, and had refused to talk to her mother for years. Finally, her father had talked her into seeing her. They had a long talk and Judith was able to forgive her.

Her uncles advise had got her thinking. So when it was time for her to go to college, instead of majoring in mathematics as she had planned, she took up Psychology. It was amazingly easy, and soon she had graduated with her mater's degree. It wasn't long after that that she met someone she had hoped never to see again…

**&Flashback&**

She walked along the empty street, humming to herself. Things were working out great. Eight-two and she already had her masters degree in psychology. Her life had definitely turned around. She rounded the corner and crashed into some, making her fall to the ground. Masters degree or not, she was still a klutz.

"Oh, gods, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He reached down and helped her to her feet.

"Yes, I'm fine." She looked up and their eyes met. The color drained from her face. She knew who he was instantly. He wore a LEP uniform and a nametag.

His face had gone bright red. "Judith Root."

"Corporal Relone." She looked around. They were the only ones on the street. "Well…goodbye." She turned to walk away.

"Wait." He grabbed her arm. "I…I wanted to apologize. For what I put you through when you were an intern. After we sent you to the hospital, we all went through a lot of counseling and anger management. It made me realize that what we-I did was wrong and…I'm sorry."

"Good for you." She grumbled, wrenching her arm free. She began walking again.

"Oh, come on. Will you just hear me out?"

"No."

He ran after her and started walking next to her. "Let me make it up to you."

"No."

"Will you just listen?"

She stopped suddenly and rounded on him. "No! And if you don't leave me alone, I'm calling the authorities."

He raised his eyebrows. "For what? I haven't done anything illegal to you for the last twelve years. Hell, I haven't even seen you for twelve years."

She pursed her lips. "Fine. What do I have to do for you to leave me alone?"

"Let me take you on a date."

Her jaw dropped open. "You have got to kidding me!"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"Why the hell would you want to take me on a date?"

"Because I want to get to know you. And I want you to get to know me."

She started walking again. "No thanks. I think I got to know you just fine twelve years ago."

"Hey, that's not fair!" He grabbed her arm again. "Come on, just one date! I want to prove to you that I've changed."

She looked at him for a few moments. "We go to a public place with lots of people. You have me home by eleven, and you keep your hands to yourself. Alright?"

He shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Sure. I live at 2811 Redwood lane. Don't be late." She pulled herself free and walked away quickly, surprised to find that she was actually exited about the next day.

**&End Flashback&**

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

She looked up and smiled. "Sorry, Allen."

Her husband smiled back, walking over to her. "Don't apologize, Judy. It's the damned press your going to be apologizing to. They're all hyped up about this new organization Dr. Judith Relone has gotten government funding for. Honestly, Judy, this is great."She stood up and hugged him. "I know. I just kept thinking about how things would have been different if I had been able to see a psychiatrist. It would have been having a parent in jail so much easier."

He smiled and nodded. "Well, I just wanted to see you before I went to work. Julius and Marigold are both asleep." He gave her a quick kiss and left.

Judith sat back down. Two weeks ago, she had received a government grant to open an organization to give children with one or more parents in jail the therapy they needed. It was truly wonderful. Things had never been better. She sat there for a while, then walked out the door and into her son's room. "Julius." She whispered, smiling down at him.

Hundreds of thousands of miles above, Julius Root smiled to himself as he sat on a cloud. "It's a pity we never got to know each other."

"Yeah, yeah. Your niece is great. Now come on!" Juliet muttered. "The score is seven to six me."

He smirked at her. "There is no way I'm loosing at sparing to a Mud Girl."

"Oh really?"

**A/N: There! I wrote it! Happy? That was fun! Review please! I'm working on a new fic where Root comes back to live. It has nothing to do with this though. It's a romance. Root/OC. Is that weird? Oh well…review!**


	14. Authors Note

Okay, I'm putting this up for those of you who enjoyed Family Secrets and had it on Email Alert. I've got a surprise for you; I'm writing a Prequel to it called Family Values! I'm almost done the first chapter, so it should be posted soon. Family Values is going to be Judith's story of Highschool before she found the box. You'll meet a few new characters, plus you'll get to learn a whole lot more about what happened when she was very little with Julius Root. You know, the relationship he had with her.

And, so you dont waste your time reading it for no reason, I'll even post a quick summary for you:

Prequel to Family Secrets. Judith Root, daughter of Turnball Root, is in High school. Though she is bullied by Cadet Relone and his gang, she has gotten used to it and accepts it as a lifestyle, something her only friend is disgusted by. But when the bullying Cadets are finally caught, she and T.J. are blamed as well. This means only one thing; Military School. With a strict sergeant, strange bunkmates and new obstacles, Judith will have to use all her strength to survive the next six months and the ancient values her family holds so dear.

Okay, so that's basically the outer edges of the plot. I hope you like it!

Yours Truly,

_J. Love_


End file.
